Method for automatically creating book definitions

ABSTRACT

Book definitions can be dynamically created based on content provided by a user. Such dynamic creation can include organization of user-supplied content into appropriate form, adjustment of book cover properties to match the user-supplied content, and verification that the user supplied content is appropriate for presentation in book form. Various interfaces can also be provided which allow users to generate a book definition based on a minimum of information.

FIELD

The field of this invention is the automated creation of bookdefinitions based on user supplied content.

BACKGROUND

To create a book definition often requires substantial user inputregarding the form of the final book. However, in many cases it can bedesirable to minimize the amount of information which the user isrequired to provide regarding the book to be created. Similarly, as auser is often more acquainted with the content they wish to include in abook than they are with the physical attributes of the book itself, itcan be beneficial to allow a book to be created based on informationfrom the user which is semantically related to the book's content,rather than requiring the user to provide information concerning thephysical attributes of the book to be created. Further, there will bemany cases where it is beneficial to supplement content provided by auser for a book with additional content which may help enhance theatmosphere or appearance of a book. Additionally, in many cases,information which is originally intended for a different purpose can bebeneficially presented in the form of a book. Accordingly, there is aneed in the art for technology which addresses one or more of thedeficiencies set forth above.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof,preferred embodiments are provided in the accompanying detaileddescription which may be best understood in conjunction with theaccompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagramsare labeled with like numbers, and where:

FIG. 1 depicts an overview of a dynamic book generation process.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary book order interface screen.

FIG. 3 depicts templates which could potentially be used to organizetext and pictures.

FIG. 4 depicts a template which can be used to specify dimensions ofcover elements for a book.

FIG. 5 depicts an interface which could be used to select a set ofcontent for presentation in book form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description sets forth certain techniques which can beused in the creation of books. It should be understood that thatdescription is intended to allow one of ordinary skill in the art topractice the techniques set forth herein, and is not intended to belimiting on the scope of potential applications which could be made ofthe inventors' discoveries.

Turning now to FIG. 1, that figure depicts an overview of variouscomponents and interfaces which can be used in dynamic book creation. Asshown in that figure, an upload computer (101) can be used to loadcontent into a content database (102). In an exemplary implementation ofthe teachings of this disclosure, the upload computer (101) could be apersonal computer used by a funeral director to store informationrelated to a recently deceased person. Such information could includebiographical information regarding the deceased person, tributes to theperson, pictures of or related to the person, and/or other information.Such information might have been uploaded for presentation in book form,could have been originally uploaded for a different purpose (e.g., acomputerized presentation such as which might be provided as part of amemorial service or on a website), or could have been uploaded atvarious times with various purposes. The database can be implemented tobe able to store and organize information which is expressed in avariety of forms (e.g., text, audio, video, photographs, pictures, orother forms). Of course, it should be understood that the teachings ofthis disclosure are not limited to being implemented in a manner inwhich the upload computer (101) is operated by a funeral director. Forexample, it is also possible that the upload computer (101) might be acomputer which accesses a content upload interface using a networkaccess application (e.g, a web browser, a network client, a proprietarydatabase access application, or other forms of application) that enablesthe user of the upload computer (101) to add data to the contentdatabase (102). Similarly, it should be understood that, while anillustrative example of a potential use of the teachings of thisdisclosure is the creation of a book related to a deceased person, thecontent uploaded to the content database (102) is not limited toinformation related to a deceased person. For instance, informationrelated to a historical event, a personal event or celebration, abusiness event, a marketing campaign, a political party or businessorganization, or any other information could also be uploaded to acontent database (102) and presented in book form using the teachings ofthis application. Further techniques for entering information into adatabase and types of information which could be so entered are setforth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/427,524, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Accordingly, whilean exemplary implementation of the teachings of this disclosure is setforth in the context of creation of a book regarding a deceased person,that implementation should be understood to be illustrative only, andnot limiting.

After information has been uploaded into a database (102), thatinformation can be evaluated to determine suitability for presentationin book form. As an illustration of a potential technique forimplementing such an evaluation, consider a circumstance where a book isbeing made commemorating a recently deceased individual. In such a case,if there is too little content uploaded into the database (102),creating a book based on that content might be an inappropriate way tomemorialize the deceased individual, because, for example, it mightimply that there was very little to say commemorating that person'slife. To help avoid this problem, content thresholds can be implementedin software which screens content uploaded into a database (102) beforethe process of creating a book from that content can be begun. Forinstance, if a book commemorating a recently deceased individual is tobe created through the combination of a textual biography, imagesrelated to the person (e.g., photographs), and one or more additionaldiscrete items (e.g., tributes to the deceased individual), thethresholds might measure the length of the biography, and the number ofimages and discrete items. As a concrete example of this, software couldbe implemented which would test material uploaded to the database (102)and reject it if the biography had less than 1000 words, there werefewer than 50 images, or there were fewer than 16 additional discreteitems (e.g., tributes). Then, if the content was rejected, the systemwould not allow an individual to create a book based on that content.

One technique which could be used to prevent a user from creating a bookbased on insufficient content is the use of a screening interface. As anexample of such an interface, consider the interface presented in FIG.5. In the interface of FIG. 5, a plurality of content sets is displayed.However, only one of those content sets (501) includes sufficientinformation to for presentation in book form. Accordingly as shown inFIG. 5, an indication (highlighting, though other indications such aschecks, status bars, or other perceptible indicia could also be used) isprovided for a user to identify the content set (501) which is suitablefor use in creating a book. Such a screening interface could beutilized, for example, in the case of creating a book memorializing arecently deceased individual. In some circumstances, a funeral homedirector might view a screen such as shown in FIG. 5 to determine whichrecently deceased individuals could potentially have a book created forthem based on content which had previously been uploaded. Of course, itshould be understood that the description of thresholding softwareimplemented in the context of evaluating content for presentation in abook memorializing a recently deceased individual set forth above is setforth for the purpose of illustration, and is not intended to be takenas an exhaustive recitation of potential implementations of theteachings of this application. For example it is possible to vary thethreshold set forth above for evaluating content uploaded to a database(102) for a book memorializing a recently deceased individual. It isalso possible that multiple alternative thresholds could be used todetermine if content is sufficient to be presented in book form. Thiscould be done, for instance, by checking to see if the content includesa biography of at least 250 words 50 pictures and 4 tributes or abiography of at least 500 words, 30 pictures and 2 tributes or abiography of at least 1000 words, 20 pictures and 16 tributes. Also, itis possible that in some implementations, instead of preventing anindividual from creating a book based on the uploaded content, thesystem would present a warning message to an individual who wished tocreate a book with content that did not pass the threshold (orthresholds, as appropriate) or could suggest an alternative format forpresenting material (e.g., a picture book, in a case where uploadedcontent included a substantial number of pictures and insufficienttextual information). Accordingly, the illustrations of thresholds andtheir use should be understood as being illustrative only, and notlimiting.

Returning now to the diagram of FIG. 1, the process of creating a bookbased on information uploaded to a database (102) can continue withorganizing the information uploaded to the database (102) into a properformat for presentation as a book. This organization can take place in avariety of automated and semi-automated manners, and can use contentprovided by the user in the database (102), content solicited from theuser by the system, and also predefined content which can beprogrammatically inserted. Further, processing can take place in avariety of manners, such as batch processing, online processing, orother forms of processing known to those of skill in the art. Toillustrate a potential technique for placing content uploaded into adatabase (102) into book format, a process of gathering additionalinformation from a user and formatting the content using templates isset forth below. However, it should be understood that that discussionis intended to be illustrative only, and should not be treated aslimiting on the claims included in this application or any other relatedapplication.

Regarding the collection of additional information from a user, considerFIG. 2, which depicts an exemplary book order interface (103). In thatinterface (103) a set of instructions (207) is presented to the userwhich indicates how that user can specify information which will be usedfor the book. First, in the exemplary book order interface (103) of FIG.2, a user may specify the language of text for use in the book to becreated using the provided language selection radio buttons(208)(209)(210). In some embodiments automatically inserted text for thebook (e.g., section headings, quotations, vignettes, etc) can betranslated or modified based on the language selection. For example,there could be a database (or multiple databases) which includessections of potential text for automatic insertion, with the differentsections corresponding to different languages. Of course, languageselection can be used for other purposes than selection or translationof automatically inserted text. For example, in the case of creation ofa book memorializing a recently deceased individual, the languageselection buttons (208)(209)(210) could be used to indicate a languagethat the text of a book should be translated into, so that if the bookis to be provided to individuals who speak different languages, eachindividual will receive a book which is understandable.

Continuing, the book order interface (103) also includes style buttons(201)(202), which, in the interface shown in FIG. 2, indicate the genderstyle to be used for the book to be created. By selection of a styleusing broad categories such as gender, the user can have control overattributes of the book (e.g., background images, quotations, insertedvignettes, etc which might differ by selected gender) without having tospecify particularly the attributes themselves (i.e., the user needsonly select gender, rather than being required to select particularbackgrounds, etc). Of course, it should be understood that the depictionof gender selection style buttons (201)(202) is not intended to indicatethat selection of gender is the only style choice contemplated by theinventors. For example, in some instances other information semanticallyrelated to the uploaded content such as hobbies; a geographic regionwhere the individual lived, was born, or where other significant eventstook place or which is otherwise associated with the individual (e.g., acity or region of the country); the individual's favorite sports teams;or other information could also be gathered. Like the genderinformation, other information obtained through the book order interface(103) could potentially be used to control aspects of a book such asbackground images, quotations and inserted vignettes. Thus, the genderselection shown in FIG. 2 should be understood as being illustrativeonly, and not limiting on potential implementations of the disclosure ofthis application.

Moving on, the book order interface (103) of FIG. 2 also includes anindication of a potential selection of whether the book to be createdshould be softcover or hardcover, as shown by the labeled radio buttons(203)(204). Further, in the book order interface (103) of FIG. 2 thereis a set of radio buttons (205)(206) which can be used to indicate wherephysical copies of a completed book are to be shipped: to apredetermined location (205), or to a new location which could bespecified by a user (206). For example, in an illustrativeimplementation in which the book order interface (103) is used in thecontext of creating a book memorializing a recently deceased individual,the predefined location where books might be shipped could be thephysical premises of a funeral director who is managing the book ordercreation process. Alternately, the predefined location might be thehouse of the individual ordering the book, a library where the bookmight be displayed, or any other suitable location. In a situation wherethe individual ordering a book wishes to have the book shipped to alocation other than the predefined location, he or she can choose theother location radio button (206). If such a choice is made, then a newlocation entry interface (not shown in FIG. 2) could be presented, whichwould allow the user to indicate the location where the book to becreated should be shipped.

It should be understood that the book order interface (103) of FIG. 2 isintended to be illustrative only, and not limiting, and that variationson that interface could also be implemented by those of ordinary skillin the art in light of this disclosure. For example, in some scenarios,less information may be gathered in a book order interface (103) than isshown in FIG. 2. For example, in some scenarios, a book order interface(103) might not require an individual to specify whether a book shouldbe created in hardcover or softcover format, which might be appropriatefor a system where only a single type of book would be created (e.g., asoftcover book). Also, as was set forth previously, a book orderinterface (103) such as depicted in FIG. 2 is not limited to being usedin the context of creating a book memorializing a recently deceasedperson. For example, in a case where the book order interface was usedto create a book related to a particular event (e.g., a marriage), thebook order selection screen could gather information related to theindividuals who were married. Of course, it should also be understoodthat information can also be culled from content which is uploaded forinclusion in a book to be created in addition to, or as an alternativeto, gathering that information through an interface screen such as shownin FIG. 2. For example, software could look for key phrases such as_(——————) was an avid fly fisherman instead of relying on informationcollected from a book order interface to identify hobbies related to anindividual to be described in a book to be created. Thus, thedescription of the book order interface (103) of FIG. 2 should beunderstood to be illustrative only, and not limiting.

Turning back now to FIG. 1, in that figure, after a user has requestedthat a book be created using a book order interface (103), the orderinformation is uploaded to a database (104) (which may be the samedatabase (102) where content was originally uploaded) and a definitionfor the book itself is created, for example, by batch processing (105).As an illustration of such batch processing, consider a circumstance inwhich the information uploaded into the database comprises a textualnarrative (e.g., a biography of a recently deceased person), one or moreimages (e.g., photographs), and one or more self-contained contentelements (e.g., textual tributes to a recently deceased person). In sucha scenario, formatting the information in the database could include thestep of combining textual and pictorial information, for example,through the use of layout templates (301)(302) as shown in FIG. 3. Insuch layout templates, text could be inserted into a multicolumn format,and pictures could be inserted into the predefined spaces in the text.

It is also possible that formatting information which had been uploadedinto the database could include creation of different sections of abook. For example, there could be a section for the textual narrative(e.g., a biography, which could be presented with or without pictures invarious embodiments), a section for pictures, and a section for contentelements (e.g., tributes for a recently deceased person, as set forthpreviously). Also, it is possible that a book might include additionalsections, such as sections which include space for writing personalmessages (e.g., in the case of a recently deceased person, there mightbe a reflections section where family members could write personalrecollections about the deceased person).

Further, it should also be understood, in addition to informationuploaded into a database (102) by users of the system, information usedin creating a book might include supplemental content. For instance, ina case where a book is created which is a biography of an individual,and a user indicated that the subject of the book is a fly fisherman,there might automatically be a ‘vignette’ inserted into the book whichdescribes the native fish of the area the person fished at, and whatthose fish typically eat. Additional content external to that submittedby a user could include quotations appropriate for the book beingcreated. For example, in the case of a book memorializing a recentlydeceased individual, quotations emphasizing continuity of life could beincluded in the book (e.g., “To live in hearts we leave behind is to notdie”). Such quotations, vignettes, and other external content could bestored in a database and retrieved and/or organized according to variousattributes of the book to be created (e.g., information provided in abook order interface (103)). Further processing which could take placeto format information uploaded into a database (102) into a book couldinclude proofing of the material to be included in the book (e.g.,correction of obvious spelling and grammar errors) and arranging imageswithin text according to tags associated with those images (e.g.,placing an image with a “wedding” tag in proximity to textual materialconcerned with a wedding).

In addition to formatting the content of a book, batch processing (105)might also include defining the cover of the book which is to becreated. By way of explanation of this process, consider the diagram ofFIG. 4, that figure depicts a template which can be used to specify thedimensions of elements of a cover for a book. In FIG. 4, the templateincludes a spine section (403), a front cover section (404), and a backcover section (402). Additionally, the template as shown in FIG. 4includes two bleed sections, a left bleed (401) and a right bleed (405).Those bleed sections represent portions of a book cover which would notbe visible on the cover of the printed form of a final book. The left(401) and right (405) bleed sections can be used to specify to a printerthat a book cover is to be printed in such a manner that the image(s)and/or pattern(s) selected for the front cover section (404) and backcover section (402) would completely fill the visible area from theintersection with the book's spine to the edge of the book's physicalcover.

The particular measurements of the different sections of the template ofFIG. 4 can be determined by an automated process. For example, todetermine the width of the spine section (403), it is possible tomultiply the number of pages in the completed book (determined duringformatting of the content for the book) by the thickness of the paperused for those pages. With that width value, the dimension of the spinesection (403) can be set appropriately. It is possible to define theremaining dimensions of the book cover template. Regarding the frontcover (404) and back cover (402) sections, in many situations, thedimensions of those sections might be predetermined, for example, bycover art which is to be used for the book. In a case where thedimensions for the front cover (404) and back cover (402) arepredetermined, the remaining dimensions for the book cover template suchas shown in FIG. 4 might be calculated by subtracting the width of thespine section (403), and the widths of the front (402) and back (404)covers from the total width of the template. The result could then bedivided by 2, and used as the width for the bleed sections (401)(405).Accordingly, the width of the bleed sections (401)(402) could bedetermined according to the following formula:W _(B)=(W _(T)−(N)(W _(P))−2(W _(C)))(2⁻¹)

Where W_(B) is the bleed width, W_(T) is the width of the template, N isthe number of pages in the book, W_(P) is the width of each page in thebook, and W_(C) is the width of the cover sections.

With the content to be included in the book formatted and the covertemplate defined, the information to be included in the book can besubmitted for an additional quality assurance review (106). Such areview can be performed using a variety of techniques, including manualreview by personnel of a service provider who creates a book, manualreview by customers to verify that the organization and formatting ofthe book is acceptable before the book is printed, automated review offinal book contents to verify that they meet certain requirements (e.g.,thresholds, as described previously), or using combinations of automatedand manual review by various parties. Upon completion of qualityassurance review, the information defining the final book (e.g., one ormore PDF files) is sent to a printer via FTP server (107), whereappropriate books can be reproduced and delivered as indicated.

Of course, it should be understood that quality assurance review (106)and FTP transfer of book information (107) described above are presentedin FIG. 1 for the sake of illustration only, and should not be treatedas implying limitations on potential implementations of the teachings ofthis application. For example, in some circumstances, it is possiblethat a process including dynamic book creation could be used by anentity which creates books in house, rather than sending information toa printer for creation of actual products. In such a case, the step ofplacing book information on an FTP server might be potentiallyeliminated as redundant. Similarly, in some instances a book creationprocess such as described previously might be used to create virtual“books” rather than physical items. In such a case, instead ofdistributing book information to a printer, an entity creating thevirtual book could upload the virtual book information to a web sitewhere it could be viewed by interested parties. Of course, combinationsof these approaches are also possible (e.g., an entity could create avirtual book and distribute actual paper copies of the book as well).Thus, the inventors' discoveries should not be limited to particularfeatures described herein, and instead should be treated as extending tothe full scope of the language of claims in this or any relatedapplication, when the words of those claims are given their broadestreasonable interpretation, as well as any processes, systems,compositions of matter or articles of manufacture which are onlyinsubstantially different therefrom.

1. A system comprising: a) a database storing a set of data provided bya user; b) a computer readable medium having stored thereon a set ofcomputer executable instructions operable to configure a computer toanalyze said set of data according to one or more requirements and toprovide an indication of whether said set of data is suitable forpresentation in a book form based on said analysis; and c) a processoroperable to perform said set of computer executable instructions;wherein said set of data comprises one or more categories of content;and wherein said analysis comprises comparing said set of data withthresholds for each of said one or more categories of content; whereinsaid one or more categories of content comprise at least threecategories of content, and wherein said thresholds are based on relativeamounts of said at least three categories of content.
 2. The system ofclaim 1 wherein said at least three categories of content comprise: i)narrative content; ii) pictorial content; and iii) discrete entries. 3.A system comprising: a) a database storing a set of data provided by auser; b) a computer readable medium having stored thereon a set ofcomputer executable instructions operable to configure a computer toanalyze said set of data according to one or more requirements and toprovide an indication of whether said set of data is suitable forpresentation in a book form based on said analysis; and c) a processoroperable to perform said set of computer executable instructions;wherein said set of data comprises one or more categories of content;and wherein said analysis comprises comparing said set of data withthresholds for each of said one or more categories of content; whereinsaid set of computer executable instructions is further operable toconfigure a computer to provide an indication of whether said set ofdata is suitable for presentation in an alternate form based on saidanalysis.
 4. A system comprising: a) a database storing a set of dataprovided by a user; b) a computer readable medium having stored thereona set of computer executable instructions operable to configure acomputer to analyze said set of data according to one or morerequirements and to provide an indication of whether said set of data issuitable for presentation in a book form based on said analysis; and c)a processor operable to perform said set of computer executableinstructions; wherein said set of data comprises one or more categoriesof content; and wherein said analysis comprises comparing said set ofdata with thresholds for each of said one or more categories of content;wherein said set of computer executable instructions is further operableto configure a computer to allow the user to access an interfaceoperable to receive book order information from the user if and only ifsaid set of data is suitable for presentation in said book form.